Stories from Thursday, May 29, 2003

DALLAS -- From classy David Robinson to unflappable Tim Duncan to charming Frenchman Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs are filled with model citizens. That's fine off the court. On it, Malik Rose thinks his team needs to show more of a mean streak...

By Henry J. Waters III Last week Gov. Bob Holden embarked on a strategy calculated to gain traction with important partisan constituencies while imposing maximum pressure and embarrassment on Republicans in the General Assembly. ... ...

May 29, 2003 Dear Julie, At our niece Darci's senior recital last weekend in Neosho, she danced her solo to the Rolling Stones' decidedly downbeat "Paint It Black." She waved a red scarf in the air as she danced. It reminded DC of the red quilt Darci was twirling outside the cabin on the Castor River a few years ago just before our dog Hank bit her on the backside...

Doctors report success in surgery for Minnelli ROME -- Liza Minnelli had successful surgery Wednesday for a kneecap she fractured in a fall in an Italian hotel, according to doctors at a Bologna hospital where flowers from fans were piling up. The 57-year-old performer tripped Sunday in the hotel where she'd been staying while preparing for a benefit concert with Luciano Pavarotti in nearby Modena, the opera star's hometown. ...

TAMPA, Fla. -- A lot of mortals who happen to share God's telephone number -- or at least the one He uses in the new movie "Bruce Almighty" -- have spent days now taking calls from curious dialers, snickering cranks and desperate souls. In the hit movie, a TV newsman played by Jim Carrey is endowed by God with divine powers, allowing him to perform such feats as parting a bowl of tomato soup like the Red Sea. ...

WASHINGTON -- Six U.S. lawmakers hope to ease tensions with North Korea in the first visit by American officials since a crisis began last fall over the country's secret nuclear program. They will tell North Korean officials that economic aid and trade lie ahead if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear program and improves relations with the United States, said the delegation leader, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa...

BALTIMORE -- A teenager pleaded guilty to murdering a homeless man during a 2001 beating spree that prosecutors say was an effort by him and his friends to "clean up" their Baltimore neighborhood. Daniel Ennis, 18, was one of three charged in the death of Gerald Joseph Holle, a 55-year-old transient...

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The capture of the man wanted in the serial killings of five women in Louisiana was met with relief Wednesday -- as well as questions about whether investigators missed or discarded clues that could have saved some of the victims...

LAKESIDE, Calif.-- A man angry with the postal service over a traffic accident stormed into a post office with a gun Wednesday and took two employees hostage for several hours before surrendering, authorities said. The gunman released the hostages after officers delivered a six-pack of Dr Pepper to him, using a long stick to pass the soda through a door...

ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest brewer, is testing out a new, high-end beer. It's called Anheuser World Select, and the company is trying it out in 10 domestic and international regions. The company said it didn't create the beverage to replace Budweiser or Bud Light. Instead, the brewer is looking for more sales in the growing market for high-end beverages, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday...

REGHAIA, Algeria -- Rescue workers squeezed a search dog Wednesday into the wreckage of an apartment block that collapsed in a powerful aftershock to last week's earthquake, searching the mangled metal and concrete slabs for any signs of survivors...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Ask any soldier in Iraq with a 3rd Infantry Division patch on the shoulder how it's going, and the reply will be some version of the following four words: "Ready to go home." The thrill of victory that followed the division's capture of Baghdad in early April has faded. As Iraq's summer heat builds, so do soldiers' anxieties...

TORONTO -- A suburban Toronto high school was closed and its 1,700 students and staff placed under quarantine after a student showed symptoms of SARS, health officials said Wednesday. The move means more than 5,000 people in the Toronto area have been told to stay home for 10 days as authorities seek to control the spread of a new cluster of SARS cases known to have infected 11 people and to be suspected in 23 others...

TEHRAN, Iran, -- Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday said the United States was fomenting tension in Iran and vowed not to give in to American arrogance, state-run television said. Reacting to accusations from Washington that Iran was harboring al-Qaida militants, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said increasing pressure from the United States was designed to force Iran to renounce its Islamic values...

TORREJON DE ARDOZ, Spain -- Relatives of Spanish peacekeepers killed in a plane crash in Turkey shouted "murderer" at Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and his defense minister as they attended a Mass for the victims along with King Juan Carlos. The confrontation took place as Aznar and Defense Minister Federico Trillo were walking behind the king to shake hands with relatives at the ceremony, held at Torrejon de Ardoz air base near Madrid where the coffins were flown in from Turkey earlier in the day.. ...

LONDON -- The U.S.-led war on terror has made the world a more dangerous and repressive place, Amnesty International said Wednesday in a report Washington dismissed as "without merit." The international human rights organization singled out the United States and Britain for detaining terror suspects without trial, under legislation introduced after the Sept. ...

MOSCOW -- Russia's landmark nuclear arms deal with the United States cleared its final hurdle Wednesday, winning overwhelming support from the upper house of parliament and opening the way for big cuts in both nations' nuclear arsenals. The Federation Council ratified the accord, known as the Treaty of Moscow, in a 140-5 vote with two abstentions in a meeting held behind closed doors...

Beef: It's what's for lunch in local school cafeterias. In recognition of May as Beef Month in the state, Missouri first lady Lori Hauser Holden visited Cape Girardeau and Jackson schools Wednesday to promote the use of beef in school lunches. At Blanchard Elementary, a twittering group of students, selected as a welcome committee, eagerly awaited the arrival of their esteemed guest...

White House seeks to draw lines between good, bad fats By Emily Gersema ~ The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- There may be a new food pyramid coming that will suggest people eat more fish and other foods with healthy fats but cut back on foods such as potato chips that have harmful trans fats...

President Bush signed the third-largest tax cuts in U.S. history on Wednesday, saying they already are "adding fuel to an economic recovery." The IRS posted new withholding tables that will add money to paychecks starting next month and began preparing refunds due in parents' mailboxes later this summer...

ST. LOUIS -- Jason Simontacchi pitched a six-hitter for the first complete game of his career and the Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 3-1 Wednesday night. Simontacchi (2-3) walked none and struck out five in his 34th major league start. He had allowed 19 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings in his previous four outings, going 0-2...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Ask Martin Brodeur about the New Jersey Devils' 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals and his own superlative play, and it sounds as if he's talking about a preseason practice or a trip to the dry cleaners. "I've been here before," he says, with the matter-of-fact tone of an athlete accustomed to being three victories away from winning hockey's biggest prize...

CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson called it his "Captain America" firesuit -- the special red, white and blue uniform he donned in an impressive two-race sweep. The outfit didn't really make him invincible, but it seemed that way after Johnson became only the fifth driver in history to sweep the May races at Lowe's Motor Speedway...

AURORA, Ill. -- Laura Diaz remembers making her way to the putting green as Annika Sorenstam teed off in her first tournament of the year, passing fans who had lined up eight deep. That kind of crowd usually only shows up for a U.S. Open. And this was still two months before the Colonial...

With its 7-3 upset of Sikeston in the Class 3, District 1 championship baseball game Friday, Notre Dame knocked off the top-ranked team in the state. The only problem with the win: They helped create another top-ranked team. And it's one they face today...

WARDELL, Mo. -- Oran fought gusting winds and slipped past North Pemiscot 3-2 in eight innings in a Class 1 sectional baseball game Wednesday. Oran, the top-ranked team in Class 1, improved to 20-2. The Eagles will face Ellington (15-5) in a quarterfinal Friday at Oran...

Southeast women win OVC all-sports trophy With Ohio Valley Championships in soccer and outdoor track and second-place finishes or better in six of nine sports, Southeast Missouri State University's women's athletics claimed the OVC all-sports trophy...

Briefly Baseball A federal appeals court upheld a ruling barring the Florida attorney general from investigating baseball owners' attempt to eliminate two teams. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, in an opinion released Tuesday, affirmed the decision made in December 2001 by U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle, who said the 1922 U.S. Supreme Court decision exempting baseball from federal antitrust laws extended to state laws as well...

You'd want to be there to see this: D-Day 2003, paintball style. Brian Norman shrugs away the thought of being there to see it, but he jumped at the thought of being there to take part in it. Norman, along with 3,000 others, will take part in the largest paintball game in the world, a D-Day re-enactment in Wyandotte, Okla., June 6 and 7. The re-enactment will take place as if everything was real, only the guns will be loaded with paint instead of deadly bullets...

Eulah Detweiler received her high school diploma in Chicago on June 17, 1932. In the last 70 years, that piece of paper has been in St. Petersburg, Fla., Wooddale, Ill., Grand Forks, N.D, Mitchel, S.D., Cape Girardeau and Jackson. On May 6, it traveled from a Jackson storage unit to the Land of Oz and back again...

If the federal government agrees to issue $50 billion in a new bond program, it would help mend the country's ailing transportation system with intended side effects of creating jobs, boosting the economy and saving lives by improving transportation safety...

Cape Girardeau residents would pay more for trash and water service and golfing on the municipal course as part of a proposed $45 million city budget for the new fiscal year -- a budget 8.54 percent more than the current fiscal year even as city officials complain of funding woes...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The infusion of up to $398 million in unexpected federal money into the Missouri treasury could allow lawmakers to restore cuts to some state programs when they begin a special legislative session next week to redo key portions of the state budget...

LeBron James' sneaker deal isn't the end of sports as we know them. Not even close. It isn't a cautionary tale about greed or how out of whack our priorities are -- though it does make you wonder how a kid who has yet to bounce a ball in an NBA game inks a $90 million deal to wear sneakers while cops, firefighters and teachers are paid like clubhouse attendants...

NEW YORK -- New York Times reporter Rick Bragg blamed what he called a "torturous atmosphere" at the newspaper for his suspension in the aftermath of the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal. "I'm sorry I got caught up in it," Bragg said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "But the fact is, it's just not a normal time."...

KATMANDU, Nepal -- On the eve of the 50th anniversary of his historic ascent of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary scolded the legions of climbers partying at base camp, saying he doesn't consider "knocking back cans of beer" as mountaineering. There were about 1,000 people at base camp with "a booze place for drinks and all the other comforts," Hillary said at a news conference Wednesday...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi officials arrested an al-Qaida figure suspected of masterminding the Riyadh bombings, a newspaper reported Wednesday, and the U.S. ambassador warned that militant cells are likely still plotting attacks in the kingdom. Interior Minister Prince Nayef announced new arrests, saying the hunt had intensified for those involved in the May 12 suicide bombings in the Saudi capital, which killed 34 people, including eight Americans...

LIMA, Peru -- Army troops and police clashed with demonstrators blocking highways Wednesday after President Alejandro Toledo declared a national state of emergency to control spreading protests. The country's 1,500-mile Pan American Highway remained cut in dozens of places by rocks and smoldering tires placed by angry farmers...

Missouri pays $30,000 a year to house a prisoner, and the Scott City School District spends $5,400 to educate a student. That seems out of whack. So, at first glance, it may make sense to some taxpayers and school administrators to do what several Southeast Missouri school districts are considering doing. Some districts want to unite to sue the state and challenge the constitutionality of Missouri's current school-funding method...

Ah, to have 64 days of summer vacation. It may not sound like a lot to students in public schools, but ask any 40-hour-a-week factory worker if he'd like to get 64 days off without financial retribution and see if he whines for a few more. In Cape Girardeau, the school district is only going to have 64 days of summer break this year. ...

To the editor: I was ecstatic when I read the Southeast Missourian's endorsement of U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's consumer-friendly prescription drug bill. However, I predict that your support will have dire consequences. First of all, the editorial board should be prepared for a rise in your own prescription drug costs of no less than 3,000 percent...

Mural at Franklin school WHAT A great addition to the Cape Girardeau murals is the wonderful artwork in the Jefferson Elementary School cafeteria. If you haven't seen this wonderful work, you ought to go see it. We need more projects like this in other schools. Keep up the great work, Mr. Horrell. Your mural is a great inspiration to the children. Thank you...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Frances Sissom, 79, of Olive Branch died Wednesday, May 28, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 3, 1924, in Tamms, Ill., daughter of Francis and Bertha Vanzant Pettit. She and Bill Sissom were married April 22, 1942...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Lavonne L. Gosnell, 64, of Chaffee died Wednesday, May 28, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 2, 1938, daughter of Virginia Lee Henley. She and Leon Gosnell were married Sept. 3, 1955. He died March 22, 2002...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Billie E. Roach, 70, of Jonesboro died Wednesday, May 28, 2003, at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Ill. He was born July 16, 1932, in Jonesboro, son of Roy and Mary Coats Roach. Roach was a construction worker, and member of Gospel Kingdom Church...

Sheree Lynn Devore, 46, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, at her home. She was born Sept. 22, 1956, in Memphis, Tenn., daughter of Michael and Shirley Ann Watson McGill. Devore grew up in Little Rock, Ark. She moved to Cape Girardeau in 1987 from Little Rock. She was a licensed practical nurse and had worked at Ratliff Care Center, Cape Care Center, Beverly Enterprises, Lutheran Home, and Jackson Manor...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Grace Marie Horrell, 79, of Chaffee died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Dec. 15, 1923, in East Prairie, Mo., daughter of William and Rosie Lee Smith Williams. She first married Charles E. Pruitt, who preceded her in death. She then married Charles Horrell, who also preceded her in death...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- James Calvin Hyslop, 77, of Bloomfield died Wednesday, May 28, 2003, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter, Mo. He was born Nov. 28, 1925, near Bloomfield, son of Roy and Ethel Wright Hyslop. He and Mildred Irene Ellis were married March 29, 1947, at Dexter...

Elmo E. McDonough, 83, of Joplin, Mo., died Friday, May 16, 2003, at his home. He was born Nov. 19, 1919, in Dardanelle, Ark., son of Isaac and Mildia Suggs McDonough. He and Anna Sue Crow were married March 22, 1941, at Dardanelle. McDonough briefly owned a restaurant and then became involved in the automobile business in Tulsa, Okla. ...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Edna E. Adams, 85, of Farmington, formerly of McBride, Mo., died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, at Parkland Health Center in Farmington. She was born Aug. 19, 1917, at Coffman, Mo., daughter of Charles and Esther Coulter Helm. She married Burton Joseph Adams, who died Aug. 22, 1987...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- Wallee Henry Baker, 80, formerly of Bell City, Mo., died Sunday, May 25, 2003, at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Ill. She was born Oct. 31, 1922, in Darling, Miss., daughter of George Howard and Carrie Travis Henry. She and Walter Baker were married Jan. 1, 1942. He preceded her in death...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Brae Shondell McKinney, 22, of Sikeston died Thursday, May 22, 2003, as the result of an automobile accident. He was born Oct. 19, 1980, in Hayti, Mo., son of Carol McKinney and Sammy Triblett. He attended New Madrid Central High School and worked at Ryan's restaurant in Sikeston. He was a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Sikeston...

DESLOGE, Mo. -- Herbert E. Tucker, 66, of Desloge, formerly of Festus, Mo., died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, at his residence. He was born Dec. 27, 1936, in Potosi, Mo., son of Charles H. and Eunice Wade Tucker. He married Eleanor Henderson. He served as a mechanic in the U.S. Air Force for five years and retired from St. Joe Lead Co. in 1992 and the Farmington Correctional Center in 2000. He was a member of Sonrise Baptist Church in Bonne Terre, Mo...

Shrewsbury Son to John and Renee Shrewsbury of Crestwood, Mo., St. John's Mercy Hospital, 9:54 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2003. Name, John Christopher. Weight, 4 pounds 7 ounces. Fourth child, first son. Mrs. Shrewsbury is the daughter of Christopher and Sandra Humburg of Scott City. Shrewsbury is the son of Eileen Shrewsbury of Kirkwood, Mo., and the late John Shrewsbury. He is an engineer with MSD in St. Louis...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, May 29 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI A person was placed in custody Wednesday pending the filing of formal charges for driving while intoxicated, no proof of insurance, failure to stop for a signal, no valid license and no seat belt.Arrests...

Cape Girardeau Thursday,May 29 Firefighters responded to the following items Tuesday: At 12:05 a.m., a structure fire at 806 N. Spanish. At 12:11 a.m., a request for emergency medical service at 735 William. At 3:13 a.m., an alarm sounding at 197 West Park Mall...

IDOT plans informational meeting on proposed I-66 ULLIN, Ill. -- The public is invited to view exhibits and ask questions about a proposed Interstate 66 through Southern Illinois at a public information meeting set for 4 to 7 p.m. June 17 at Shawnee Community College in Ullin...

JERUSALEM -- Amnesty International issued its annual report Wednesday and accused Israel of war crimes and Palestinian militants of crimes against humanity. While Amnesty cited Israeli military action in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it did not mention Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority in connection with attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli civilians...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- While the use of lasers by dentists in Missouri is nothing new, state lawmakers have passed legislation formally legalizing the practice. The legislation, which is pending before Gov. Bob Holden, adds the use of lasers to an existing Missouri law that defines the practice of dentistry...

EUREKA, Mo. -- A new ride at Six Flags St. Louis remained closed Wednesday, two days after a glitch forced operators to shut it down. No one was injured, but passengers on the Xcalibur were stuck for about six minutes until workers could manually lower the arm of the ride. Officials said it was expected to reopen by today...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., on Wednesday said Missouri and other states might have to consider toll roads to help pay for overhauling the aging interstate highway system. He said the need for road repair and construction outstrips federal resources...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As a result of budget cuts, security at the Missouri Capitol will return to the relaxed levels in place before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Starting July 1, Missouri plans to do away with its private security guards and remove the metal detectors posted at the doors of the Capitol and two nearby office buildings, state officials said Wednesday...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Only weeks after this Southern Illinois city elected its first new mayor in 12 years, a political melee among its top officials has generated lawsuits and city council members are boycotting their meetings. The raucous also has caught the eye of the Attorney General's office, which is reviewing the city's finances...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush thrust himself deeper into the Mideast peace process Wednesday, arranging to meet in Jordan next week with the prime ministers of Israel and the Palestinians and planning to attend a separate summit in Egypt with Arab leaders...

WASHINGTON -- The discovery of two Iraqi truck trailers equipped with fermenters is the strongest evidence yet that Saddam Hussein had a biological weapons program, a U.S. intelligence report said Wednesday. But officials still have found no such weapons...

WASHINGTON -- Armed with a report that shows judges leaving for more lucrative jobs, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist on Wednesday made a rare public plea with three of his Supreme Court colleagues to urge better pay for federal judges. For years Rehnquist has tried to draw attention to the salary issue in written reports...

Jackson Noon Optimists have been upholding their creed, "Friends of Youth," as evidenced by recent events. Optimist Way, at the entrance to Safety City at Jackson City Park, was spruced up on Park Day April 26. Flowerbeds were mulched, flowers were planted and a dedication was made to Carolyn Poe. Poe, a Jackson Noon Optimist who worked tirelessly at Safety City events and Kids Day in the Park, died earlier this year. New playground equipment was presented in her honor...

Nearly $400,000 in federal grant money from the Department of Justice has been awarded to Southeast Missouri State University for ongoing renovation and expansion of the Southeast Missouri Crime Laboratory in Cape Girardeau. For 27 years, the lab has been confined to a 2,000-square-foot house on campus that has become inadequate for the nearly 4,000 cases processed for area law enforcement each year. ...

Youth Attains Twirling Honors Megan Hawk, a member of the Southeast Area Twirlers Cape/Jackson Competition Class, recently competed in the Miss Shamrock Majorette Competition. In championship events Megan placed third in the sportswear model Miss Shamrock Pageant, and photogenic majorette divisions. ...

Submitted photo Winners in the MoDOT Work Zone Safety Poster Contest from Southeast Elementary School in Sikeston, Mo., flanked by district engineer Scott Meyer, were, from left, fourth-grader Nicki James, second place; and fourth-grader Brianca Johnson, first-place winner.The Southeast Missourian...

Twirlers Recognized For Accomplishments Twirlers Chelsey Lukefahr, left, and Maysi Dougherty recently attended the Miss Shamrock Majorette Competition; Lukefahr was awarded second place and Dougherty earned fifth place. The two performed a one-baton duet routine together for which they were awarded second place in the beginner division...

Emerson's mobile office to visit area June 5 U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's (R-Mo.) mobile office will make local stops so that her constituents can be in better contact with their federal representative. Mobile office director Darren Lingle, will be able to answer the public's questions and write down constituent's concerns from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. June 5 at the Marble Hill Library and from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce...

Jackson government officials say a slower speed limit on Highway 25 coming into the city from the south would be more of a hindrance than a help. The board of aldermen discussed the issue at Tuesday night's study session after a resident approached alderman Larry Cunningham about concerns that traffic moved too quickly in that area...

10 years ago: May 29, 1993 Demolition of structures along new Mississippi River bridge route in South Cape Girardeau could get under way by early- to mid-June; early earthwork for Highway 74 bridge route interchange at Interstate 55 could start in July; bids for both project were opened yesterday...